Demand for bigger homes drives loss of countryside

The proportion of homes built with four or more bedrooms has increased by half since 2007, to 29 per centAndrew Matthews/PA

The amount of countryside lost to housing development has more than doubled in the past decade, according to analysis of official figures.

Undeveloped greenfield land taken for housing rose from 1,510 hectares in 2007 to 3,328 hectares in 2015 but the number of homes built fell by 15 per cent to 140,000, the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) said.

It accused developers of taking advantage of relaxed rules on housing density to build bigger homes and make “more profligate use of green space”.

The area of land converted to residential use per new home increased from 290 square metres to 350 square metres between 2006-07 and 2016-17, the CPRE calculated from government data. The proportion of new homes with four or more bedrooms has…